Patrick Sharp registered three goals and an assist for the Blackhawks as part of a 7-2 thrashing of Colorado on Friday.

Sharp was absolutely dominant for Chicago in this contest and has now amassed 21 goals on the season. His linemate Jonathan Toews also had a great outing, picking up two goals and two helpers in the victory while Michal Handzus and Kris Versteeg rounded out the scoring for the Hawks.

Dany Heatley scored his eighth goal of the campaign for Minnesota in a 6-4 loss to Winnipeg on Friday.

The former second overall pick has recorded just two goals and one assist in 12 December games, a sign his best days are certainly behind him. Mikko Koiivu, Stephane Veilleux and Justin Fontaine all tallied for Minnesota in the loss.

Backstrom was staked to a 3-1 lead early in the contest, but failed to hold on as he ultimately allowed five goals on 37 shots in the losing effort, which drops his record to 2-9-2 for the year. His GAA is a horrific 3.32 while his save percentage is now .893.

Blake Wheeler buried a pair of goals for the Jets in an exciting 6-4 win over Minnesota on Friday night.

Wheeler's been on quite the goal-scoring tear of late, potting nine goals in the month of December, including seven in his last eight games. Dustin Byfuglien, Evander Kane, Olli Jokinen and Tobias Enstrom all contributed goals for Winnipeg in the victory.

Matt Moulson picked up a goal and an assist for the Sabres in Friday's 4-3 shootout loss to Toronto.

Moulson's 13th goal of the season opened the scoring for Buffalo and he added a helper on Steve Ott's tying goal in the final minute of the game. John Scott also picked up his first NHL goal since 2009 in the loss.

Ryan Miller turned in a strong performance in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs on Friday night.

In what has become a sadly recurring story, Miller's strong effort was wasted by a team that could not score enough goals to earn him a victory despite the fact he turned aside 39 of 42 shots. His record falls to 9-17-1 with the loss while his GAA moves to 2.76 and his save percentage becomes .924.

Phil Kessel scored a goal and added an assist for the Maple Leafs in a 4-3 shootout win over Buffalo Friday.

Kessel's goal snapped a stretch in which he tallied just one goal in nine games, yet he has scored 18 times on the season. Peter Holland and Jake Gardiner also found the back of the net for Toronto in the win.

Jonathan Bernier backstopped Toronto to a 4-3 shootout victory over the Sabres on Friday night.

Bernier was shaky in the first period of the game, but buckled down and was sharp the rest of the way. All told, he allowed three goals on 35 shots. His record improves to 11-11-4 with the victory while his GAA and save percentage are2.44 GAA and .929, respectively.

Cameron Talbot saw his win streak end at two as he dropped a 3-2 decision to the Capitals on Friday.

The game was the third consecutive that Talbot has started in place of Henrik Lundqvist, but now that he has lost a game expect King Henrik to be back in goal for their next outing. Talbot's record remains a strong 8-3-0 despite the loss while his GAA is 1.72 and his save percentage is .936.

Erik Karlsson registered four shots on goal and a minus-2 rating in a 5-0 loss to Boston Friday night.

Despite being held off the scoresheet like the rest of his teammates in this game, Karlsson continues to lead all NHL defensemen in scoring and remains the most dangerous offensive blueliner in the fantasy game.

Reilly Smith scored two goals for the Bruins as part of a 5-0 drubbing of the Senators on Friday.

Smith's 14 goals on the season have been a pleasant surprise for the Bruins, who always seem to derive significant value from their role players. David Krejci, Jarome Iginla and Brad Marchand all found the back of the net in the victory.

Justin Peters took the loss for the Hurricanes in a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Friday night.

It was the third straight start for Peters, who stopped 22 of 26 shots in the defeat and has been given some run of late in place of Cam Ward. Peters' record falls to 7-9-4 with the defeat while GAA is 2.38 and his save percentage is .922.

James Neal registered a goal and two assists for the Penguins in a 4-3 win over Carolina Friday.

Neal was given an opportunity to skate alongside Sidney Crosby in the contest and took full advantage. Crosby also potted a goal in the victory while Deryk Engelland and Chris Conner also found the back of the net for the Pens.

He didn't practice on Friday. Luongo was injured during last Sunday's match against Winnipeg. Eddie Lack will take over the number one job in his absence, while minor-league recall Joacim Eriksson will back him up.

"Real good progress," coach Joel Quenneville said. "He felt good today, had a much more intense workout than he had the last times on the ice. Over the next couple (or) three days, we'll get him more with the guys as we go along here. We like the progress. He feels much better." Crawford might travel with the team to St. Louis for Saturday's contest.

He skated with Henrik Zetterberg and Daniel Alfredsson in Friday's practice. However, coach Mike Babcock wouldn't confirm that Abdelkader will be back. The Red Wings bench boss said; "Abdelkader's another guy too that I think might be available. We'll know more after the morning skate."

"It's not quite there yet," Franzen said. "I still get dizzy and headaches. It's motion triggered. I can get through workouts fine, but if I try and play keep away I can't do that. If there's too much going on I get dizzy, my vision gets blurry and stuff like that." He has missed four contests because of a concussion, but he appears to be making some progress.

"There are more important things than that. As nice as it would be, you have to look at the big picture," he said. "It doesn't feel 100 percent, good enough to go right now. I think it's something we're going to have to talk about. Trainers, coaches, doc. See how I feel tomorrow. I don't think it was good enough today." There was some hope that he would be able to play Saturday, but that doesn't appear to be probable anymore. He has missed 10 games with a shoulder injury.

"I'm still hoping to play in Nashville," said Howard. "That's been the goal here all along and I don't think anything's changed. The first real test was today with a full practice and it felt pretty good out there. I think I need a couple more practices. It's still a little stiff for not using it for so long. That's going to happen with any injury. I just need to be the mobility back." He hasn't played since Dec. 10 and would probably like to get a game under his belt before the Winter Classic.

He has missed the past four games with a lower-body injury. Rome had hip surgery and sports hernia surgery in the summer and he aggravated his hip on Dec. 16 against Colorado. "It's more of my own fault than anything, I tried to make a hip check, and that's probably not the best thing to do at this stage," Rome said. "I just need to stay physical and have a good gap, and find a different way to hit guys along the boards." He's expected to be paired with Jordie Benn against Nashville.

He originally suffered the injury in a WHL game in late October, but tried to play through it in an attempt to make Canada's World Junior squad. Shinkaruk didn't make the cut, though. He will undergo the procedure in about 10 days to repair a tear in the labrum.

"The bottom line is I just need to stop the puck more," Lundqvist said. "That's my goal. I can promise you I work as hard as I can, and I've been doing that. I just hope it's going to turn around here. My next start, whenever it is, is another opportunity to get a good, solid game." Cam Talbot will be in goal for the Rangers for a third straight time on Friday night.

He was also sporting a brace on his left knee. "I know it's a big step in the right direction," said Callahan, who suffered a sprained MCL 17 days ago. "I've got to take it in stride. The first couple days you're pretty miserable, but then you work as hard as you can to get back in the lineup." It doesn't look like his injury will prevent him from playing in the Winter Olympics.

The Predators have pulled their starting goalie in each of their last three games and Hutton has received the hook twice during that time. He probably won't have a very long leash in this game either. The Predators play again on Saturday against Los Angeles, so Marek Mazanec might get the call for that contest.

This is his first appearance with the Oilers since he was acquired from Calgary on Nov. 8 as part of the Ladislav Smid trade. Horak has posted 11 points in 18 games with AHL Oklahoma City since the move.

In his previous two games versus the Flames this season, he surrendered just four goals on 62 shots and earned one victory. That would also keep Ilya Bryzgalov fresh for Saturday's meeting versus Philadelphia.

Hall seems to like playing alongside of Perron. "David wins a lot of battles," Hall said. "Usually when you play with a guy, you want to help him on the one-on-one battles, but with David you just want to get open." Perron picked up a goal and an assist in the contest to end a five-game point drought. He has fit in well with the Oilers this season, while recording 15 goals and 29 points in 35 matches.

He participated fully in Friday's practice. Look for the Red Wings to activate him from injured reserve at some point and you should do the same. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 30 points in 28 games this season, which leads Detroit in scoring. He hasn't played since Dec. 1, but we don't expect him to be that rusty.

Joe Vitale skated with Crosby and Kunitz during Friday's morning session. Vitale and Neal could share time on the team's first line, according to coach Dan Bylsma. Neal has two assists in three games since returning to the lineup from his five-game suspension. In 19 appearances this season, he has notched 10 goals and 22 points.

Lehner played well in four appearances versus the Bruins last season, but it's a bit surprising that he's getting the start after Craig Anderson pitched a 27-save shutout against Pittsburgh on Monday. However, Anderson might be back between the pipes for Saturday's rematch with Boston.

This will mark his third consecutive start over number one goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who recently inked a lucrative seven-year, $59.5 million deal. Talbot has provided the team with excellent goalkeeping this season and he is deserving of extra ice time even if it comes at the expense of Lundqvist.

He participated in the Capitals' morning skate Friday, but he won't play against the New York Rangers. "He had a full practice and he was flying, but something doesn't feel quite right even though he can go out there pretty good," coach Adam Oates said. "We don't wan to risk hurting it, whatever that is." Laich is expected to meet with the team's doctors to determine his next step, but for now he's in a "holding pattern."

That means he could be back as early as Saturday's game in Edmonton. Downie has missed two games with an upper-body injury. He skated on the fourth line with Chris VandeVelde and Zac Rinaldo in the session, but prior to his injury he had been playing alongside Sean Couturier and Matt Read.

He left the game in overtime after the collision, but it sounds like he'll be available for Friday's game versus Edmonton. It's probably safe to keep him active if you normally would. Stajan has six goals and 16 points in 29 games.

The Penguins have been hit hard by the injury bug, so Vitale could get a shot to open Friday's contest on the top line. He has one goal and 10 assists in 37 games this campaign, while averaging 10:43 of ice time. Vitale could be worth keeping an eye as a short-term fix, but this could be a revolving door-type situation where a number of wingers get tried out until players get healthy.

He'll be back in the lineup for the Penguins on Friday night after missing 15 games with a broken hand. Glass, who will skate on the fourth line, has six points and 38 penalty minutes in 24 games this season.

He is set to return to the lineup on Friday night after he was hurt on Dec. 7 in a nasty incident with Boston's Shawn Thornton. Orpik suffered a concussion when Thornton punched him in the face while he laid on the ice. He took line rushes in the team's morning skate with Deryk Engelland.

He wasn't placed on any of Pittsburgh's projected four lines, so it's unlikely that he will be available to play. If he doesn't play then it will be the sixth straight game he has missed due to a lower-body injury.

The Pittsburgh Penguins made that announcement via their Twitter account on Friday. There's no timetable set for his return. Dupuis was injured in Monday's loss to Ottawa following a collision with teammate Sidney Crosby. He has seven goals and 20 points in 39 games this season.

He played in the Panthers' 6-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Monday in his season debut before heading back to the AHL during the NHL's holiday break. Petrovic will continue to fill in on Florida's blueline with Erik Gudbranson injured.

The Panthers lost Scottie Upshall to an upper-body injury prior to the Christmas break, so Shore is joining the team to take his place. Shore played two games for Florida in early October prior to being shipped to the minors. The team wanted him to get used to playing right wing in the AHL, where he recorded 15 assists in 28 games with San Antonio.

He has 12 goals in his past AHL 16 games with Charlotte and he has recorded 27 points in 29 contests. Boychuk picked up an assist with the Hurricanes during his previous NHL call-up earlier this month.

"We're going to have a look at him in the next little while here," coach Claude Julien said. "Not tonight, but maybe tomorrow or the game after. I think he's earned that. We told him that after having such a good camp that we'd bring him up at some point, get him some games. So that's what we're doing right now." He will serve as Tuukka Rask's backup in Friday's game versus Ottawa. He has posted an 11-5-3 record to go with a .907 save percentage and a 2.91 goals-against average in 20 games with AHL Providence this season.

It will be his third straight start and his fifth appearance in the Hurricanes' last six games. Peters has picked up just one victory in his past five outings (1-2-2), but he appears to have a leg up on Cam Ward right now.

He has been out of action since Oct. 13 because of a concussion. Clowe has one assist and a minus-5 rating in six games this season. He can contribute hits, penalty minutes and some points once he gets going again.

Michael Russo of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune believes that Parise will miss some games with what is presumed to be an aggravation of the foot injury that he has been playing with for more than three weeks. Parise blocked a shot back on Nov. 25 and he was expected to miss a few weeks, but he sat out just one game.

He hasn't played since Dec. 1 after a small herniated disc was discovered in his back, but he still leads the Red Wings in scoring with 30 points in 28 games. Look for Zetterberg to be back on the ice for Detroit at Friday's practice.

He registered 23 goals in 48 games last year, while posting a personal high 19.7 shooting percentage. This season, Tlusty has six markers after 37 contests and he's shooting percentage has dropped to 9.5.

"It'd be a huge honor, something that nobody can take away from you," he said. "It'd be pretty cool to say that you're an Olympian. I'm just trying to play my best right now and make it a hard decision on them." The team is scheduled to be announced on Wednesday at the Winter Classic. Bishop should garner plenty of consideration for a roster spot, as he's posted a 20-5-2 record to go with a .935 save percentage and a 1.93 GAA.

That's despite the fact that the Capitals have an 8-3 record in shootouts this season. "I don't believe in them," he said. "I know the fans like it, but that's because it has kind of a carnival effect. I mean, I get it. It's in the rules, but maybe because I never played with it, I don't really like it very much." The NHL has shown signs that they want to see less shootouts. They excluded shootout wins when determining the number of victories each team has for the top playoff tiebreaker, which gives teams added incentive to finish tied contests in the overtime period. There's also been talk of extending overtime to reduce the likelihood of a shootout. At the same time, it doesn't look like the skills competition is going to go away entirely as it guarantees that no game will end in a tie without the risk of contests continuing indefinitely.

Scott Clemmmensen played well for the Panthers during his absence, but Thomas is ready to return to the crease after recovering from a groin injury. Thomas had won his previous three games before getting hurt at practice to give him a 9-10-1 record on the year to go with a .909 save percentage and a 2.75 GAA.

"It's going to be weird," Claude Giroux said. Bryzgalov suffered a tremendous fall from grace from the point when he inked a nine-year, $51 million contract in the summer of 2011 to when he was bought out just two years later. He now has a 2.80 GAA and .915 save percentage in eight games with Edmonton.

He was sent to the press box earlier this month and Horachek feels like the young defenseman has responded. "Sometimes it's what players need, a little bit of adversity and to understand, and to sit back and watch a little bit," Horachek said. "Most players go through it. He doesn't like it, most players don't. I think he's played his best hockey coming out of there. He's making better decisions; he's competing really hard and playing the game against top players. His minutes have gone up because of it." Kulikov doesn't feel like he's doing anything differently aside from cutting down on his turnovers. He has six points and a minus-7 rating in 37 games this year.

He has recorded a plus rating just three times in his last 17 games. Byfuglien has been good offensively with 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) in 39 games, which ties him for second on the Jets and ranks him third among all blueliners. Still, he'll need to tidy up his play in his own end.

Reportedly, the Rangers want to trade Del Zotto, but the problem is their asking price has been too high. Del Zotto has struggled this season under coach Alain Vigneault and his time spent in the press box probably hasn't helped his fantasy value either. Still, Del Zotto has a fair amount of potential and is still pretty young at 23. He should be movable, but perhaps not for the Rangers' reportedly preferred return of a top-four defenseman.

Yakupov is minus-25 in 37 games and while that stat might not always be reflective of the player's capabilities, the Oilers are unhappy with his defensive showing. Even though he scored a goal and registered an assist on Monday, he logged just 6:29 minutes. "I can't say it was good. I want to play more. It's pretty cold on the bench, but I have to work in practice and find more minutes," said Yakupov.

The United States is expected to reveal their roster for the 2014 Winter Games on January 1. Faulk's been in contact with the team's management, but isn't sure what his chances are of making the squad. He has 15 points and is averaging 24:12 minutes per contest in 37 games this season.

Gillies served as Gibson's understudy for the United States' gold medal run last year. "We saw a goaltending clinic last year from John Gibson, which was a treat to watch. He was an unbelievable mentor," Gillies said. "Gibby is the reason we won the tournament, hands-down. We had Johnny G. (Flames prospect Johnny Gaudreau) and other guys step up when we needed it, but Gibby is the reason we won and it shows what goaltending means to this tournament." Gillies turned aside 23 of 24 shots in Team USA's 5-1 win over the Czech Republic in his tournament opener.